Main Menu

CDC researchers have improved upon a prior, HHS patented mass spectrometry-based Endopep-MS assay that is able to rapidly detect and differentiate all seven botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) types A to G. This current improvement comprises the addition of two optimized substrate peptides that increases the assay's sensitivity,relative to prior substrates, for botulinum neurotoxin type-E (BoNT/E) by greater than 100 fold.

Micro-Screen is a CDC developed software program designed to capture images and archive and display a compiled image(s) from a portion of a microscope slide in real time. This program allows for the re-creation of larger images that are constructed from individual microscopic fields captured in up to five focal planes and two magnifications. This program may be especially useful for the creation of data archives for diagnostic and teaching purposes and for tracking histological changes during disease progression.

CDC researchers have developed a reverse transcription/semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (RT-snPCR) assay for diagnosis of enterovirus infections within clinical specimens. Clinical laboratories currently identify enteroviruses by virus isolation and subsequent virus neutralization tests, or serological assays. In addition to being time consuming, these approaches are labor, cost and material intensive.

CDC researchers have developed a method of simultaneously detecting and distinguishing multiple antigens within a biological sample. Epidemiological and vaccine studies require species serotype identification. Current methods of serotyping are labor intensive and can easily give subjective, errant results. This technology utilizes serotype specific antibodies bound to fluorescent beads, allowing for simultaneous single tube capture and detection of multiple antigens in one rapid, high-throughput flow cytometry assay.

CDC researchers have isolated select Chlamydophila pneumoniae peptide epitopes for development of vaccines and diagnostic assays. Currently, C. pneumoniae infection of humans has been linked to a wide variety of acute and chronic diseases, such as asthma, endocarditis, atherosclerotic vascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, sarcoidosis, reactive arthritis and multiple sclerosis. There is presently no available peptide vaccine for the pathogen and reliable and accurate diagnostic methods are limited.

This CDC invention provides methods for preventing or treating inflammatory response-linked, infection induced pathologies, which are mediated by endogenous substance P. Substance P is a naturally-occurring and major pro-inflammatory neuromediator or neuromodulator, and elevated levels of substance P have been implicated in numerous inflammation-associated diseases. More specifically, this technology entails administration of anti-substance P antibodies or anti-substance P antibody fragments to a subject in need, thereby inhibiting the activity of endogenous substance P.

This invention relates to methods of rapidly detecting influenza, including differentiating between type and subtype. CDC researchers have developed a rapid, accurate, real-time RT-PCR assay that has several advantages over culture and serological tests, which require 5 to 14 days for completion; this assay can also be easily implemented in kit form. To date, hundreds of human cases of infection with the H3N2 variant virus have been confirmed.

The transmission of malaria begins with injection of sporozoites into a human from the bite of a female anopheles mosquito, which initiates the malarial life cycle in humans. When a mosquito bites an infected human, the ingested male and female malaria gametocytes fuse to form a zygote that eventually becomes an oocyst. Each oocyst produces thousands of sporozoites which migrate to the mosquito salivary glands, ready to infect a new human host.

Cells, cell culture methods, and cell culture media compositions useful for producing and maintaining iPSC-derived cell lines that are of higher purity and maintain cell type integrity better than current iPSC-derived cell lines are disclosed. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can be generated by reprogramming somatic cells by the expression of four transcription factors. The hiPSCs exhibit similar properties to human embryonic stem cells, including the ability to self-renew and differentiate into all three embryonic germ layers: ectoderm, endoderm, or mesoderm.

CDC researchers have developed a Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) reporter cell line that is exceptionally permissive for influenza virus replication and provides a highly specific, sensitive approach for the simultaneous detection and isolation of influenza viruses. Simplified antibody neutralization assays and high-throughput antiviral drug screening can also be easily and efficiently implemented using this reporter system.